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| Edenton's 1767 Courthouse (photo by K.L. Wood) |
Young women from John A.
Holmes High School carried candlelit lanterns to help illumine our path along
the uneven, often brick, walkways in the dark of night. But what a perfectly
beautiful night it was! Cool and crisp with bright stars above us, quiet enough
to hear the water lapping gently against the town docks. Our tour guide led us by several homes
and buildings and shared their stories...historical and suitably creepy. Come close, dear Reader, and I will tell
you some tales…but keep in mind these are just a few of what we heard and these
are limited to the area in which we walked. Edenton is full of many more homes
filled to the brim with lore and legend.
Standing outside the 1767
Edenton Courthouse, our guide told us of an eighteenth century man who
committed several crimes and was tried and convicted in the historic building.
Once sentenced to a lengthy imprisonment, he bolted to the front door and tried
to escape. The exit was locked from the outside and he beat futilely on the
heavy wooden door hoping someone would unlock it and let him out. The man
ultimately died in prison. People walking by the old courthouse, late at night,
sometimes hear the sound of banging as they pass the door.
Beverly Hall is a beautiful
and stately mansion, built as part bank, part residence in 1810. It
is home to
a particularly grisly tale. It seems there was a clerk working in the bank who
was discovered to have been swindling the townspeople out of their hard earned
money. One night, the clerk saw a crowd of disgruntled people coming toward the
Hall carrying torches and all manner of weaponry. He decided to shoot himself
before the angry mob reached him. Disappointed at not being able to bring the
man to justice, they took his corpse to the old Courthouse, sat it up for
“trial,” accused and sentenced him to “death,” and then carried his body back
to Beverly Hall where they strung him up in a tall tree in the backyard. There
they left him for crows to pick his corpse apart. Today there appears to be an
unusual amount of crows that hang out on Beverly Halls lovely grounds…looking
for more, perhaps?
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| Beverly Hall, photographed in 1936 by Frances Johnston |
Built in 1850, elegant
Pembroke Hall is popular today as a gorgeous wedding venue. Every weekend from
spring through fall, festive white tents pop up on its generous grounds for
happy couples to exchange their vows and celebrate their union. One hopes the
brides do not encounter the spirit of a man who has been seen there, wearing a
Confederate uniform and bearing horrific facial wounds from a Civil War battle
in which he lost his life.
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| Pembroke Hall, Edenton (photo from visitedenton.com) |
Speaking of brides, another lovely home is the source of a sad tale of a
happy eighteenth century bride who decided it would be fun to play hide and
seek with members of the wedding party on the day of the nuptials. During the
game, the bride went missing and although the guests searched thoroughly and
called her name repeatedly, she was never found. With a number of pirates
wandering the streets, it was feared and assumed she must have been kidnapped
by some dastardly piratical crew. Generations later, after the house had
changed ownership a few times, a woman went into the attic and witnessed a
filmy form sweep past her and hid for a far corner. The woman peered into the
far recesses of the attic and found a beautiful wooden chest she thought might
make a lovely coffee table. When the chest was brought down and opened, the
body of long dead woman in a wedding dress lay within. Apparently the
unfortunate bride hid in the chest during the game and it locked on her,
sealing her in and sealing her fate.
Another story involves the
restoration of the Roanoke River Lighthouse, in active
commission from 1886 to
1941. This is the original lighthouse that marked the entrance of the Roanoke
River into Albemarle Sound. In recent years it was moved from its working site
to Edenton’s harbor where it has undergone extensive renovation and is now open
for tours. Part of the restoration involved removing some sad, old carpeting.
One of the workmen was bending over and pulling up a section of the carpet when
he felt a hard and distinct kick on his backside. Looking around he expected to
see he had bumped into something but there was nothing anywhere near him that
could have caused the sensation. Evidently, one of the old keepers was
indignant at the man’s removal of his beloved carpet!
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| Roanoke River Lighthouse, Edenton (photo by K. L .Wood) |
As I have stated before,
living in a 300 year old town is a wonderment and an inspiration. I hope you
can come and visit our town someday…perhaps you will experience your own
spirited encounter!
Have a good couple weeks,
dear Reader. Thanks for stopping by...Y'all come back now! (And beware of
things that go bump in the night!)
Kate
